Santa FE, NM–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Imprint, a blockchain-based art security registry, and the Southwest Association for Indian Arts (“SWAIA”) today announced a partnership to combat fraud in the Native American art market by supplying 800 Native American artists with Imprint digital titles permanently certified for their artwork. The announcement was made at 100 o’clockth Annual Santa Fe Indian Market.
Imprint offers artists and galleries permanent digital titles that allow official registration of artworks, creating a digital certificate of authenticity stored in a secure blockchain database. When a piece is sold, the print title and certificate are transferred to the buyer with transaction information – such as date, location and valuation – instantly created and stored on the chain, creating a secure and infinite provenance that can be traced back to the creation of the piece and its initial sale.
“We are honored to work with SWAIA to provide a next-generation solution to address an age-old issue of fraud and exploitation perpetrated against Native American culture,” said Ruth-Ann Thorn, co-founder of Imprint. Ms. Thorn is also the founder and CEO of Exclusive Collections Galleries, a trio of fine art galleries featuring Native American artists, and an enrolled tribal member of the Rincon Band of Luiseño / Payómkavichum Indians of Southern California, where she serves as Chairman of Rincon Economic Development Board.
She added, “By giving artists and their representatives a simple and easy-to-use digital tool, we hope to eliminate counterfeit works purported to be by Native American artists, which will make their work much more valuable authentic.”
“When Imprint approached us about launching their blockchain-based art security registry with SWAIA artists, we immediately recognized the opportunity as one that will help combat theft and counterfeiting within the Native American art world,” said SWAIA Executive Director Kimberly Peone. “We are thrilled to be able to provide cutting-edge solutions for SWAIA artists.”
Global art sales in 2021 reached $65.1 billion, according to research from investment bank UBS, with online sales more than doubling since 2019. According to the Institute of Fine Arts Experts, about 50 percent of art that circulates currently likely falsified or misattributed. Native American art is estimated to represent approximately $1 billion in sales annually, with about 80% of that coming from the sale of counterfeit goods that include a wide range of works, from paintings and sculptures to jewelry, ceramics, and textiles.
About the Southwest Association for Indian Arts
The Southwest Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) is a non-profit organization that supports Native American art and culture. It creates economic and cultural opportunities for Native American artists by producing and promoting the Santa Fe Indian Market, the largest and most prestigious Indian art event in the world since 1922; cultivating excellence and innovation in traditional and non-traditional art forms; and developing programs and events that support, promote and honor local artists throughout the year. For more information about SWAIA, visit www.swaia.org.
About Imprint
Founded in 2021, Imprint, LLC is the first secure global art registry with a mission to empower artists and buyers by preventing art fraud, ensuring authenticity and provenance, and providing secure transfer and ownership records throughout time. The Imprint digital platform creates a new standard for authenticity in line with those for other created assets and uses ultra-secure blockchain database technology to ensure the accuracy of all artwork and transactions. For more information, visit http://www.imprintregistry.com/.